Building for growth: the Talenti method

The new Talenti headquarters in Amelia (TR), completed in 2021 by Filippo Cagnotto of the Progetto Reb studio, extend over 80,000 square metres, 20,000 of which are indoors, including the logistics area, the offices and a 2,000-display space.

For Talenti – a firm specialising in the production of furnishings for outdoor spaces – investing in its headquarters was first and foremost a strategic decision: “This investment means that we’ve acquired more space for stock products, which ensures that we can respect the most stringent timeframes for the delivery of contract projects,” said Fabrizio Cameli, who founded the company that he now runs with his wife and his children Edoardo and Federica. “It also means that we have acquired a larger area for displaying our collections.” Investing in its new space is also an ethical statement for Talenti: “The new Talenti headquarters are not just a new venue, but also serve as a desire to send a message to the design world of design, showing that extraordinary results can be obtained through passion and commitment.”

Confirming the positive trend evidenced by the growth of the outdoor furnishing sector in 2020, Talenti saw a 30-million-euro turnover during the first few months of the pandemic, in 2021, witnessing an average growth rate of 57% compared with the previous year. This growth corresponds to the investment in the new premises, and shows that by continuing to invest in one’s own brand and in one’s own region, one can continue to grow.

The new headquarters has freed up the old premises in Acquasparta, a town not far from Amelia, which will be converted into a joinery, allowing the entire production chain to be overseen. The new building started with the regeneration of an old pasta factory - the former Federici pasta factory, a well-known name in Umbria -  which closed down some years ago and was then left to rack and ruin. The challenge for the designers was to manage to strip the original, highly industrial-looking premises and envelop them in a new contemporary skin.

The end result is that the powerfully rhythmic articulation of the building’s façade encloses the internal volumes with well-defined architectural lines. The overall design concept was the creation of both internal and external flows and pathways, boasting a great deal of greenery for the staff to enjoy. The headquarters are immersed in the verdant Umbrian countryside onto which large glass windows open out, both from the area given over to office space and from the large showroom that welcomes visitors along the main façade. The former pasta factory spaces have been altered and brought up to date, conforming to the new ways of doing business, and attempting to stimulate the wellbeing of the employees with a human-oriented, people-centric approach. Inside the new headquarters, the commercial and import/export offices are separated by unobtrusive metal shelving which maintains a visual connection between the various departments.

The landmark feature of the project is, however, unquestionably the tower, originally used as grain silo. The tower above the old silo has been transformed by Filippo Cagnotto and his architectural practice into a vertical installation created with pierced metal sheets that vibrate with light and serve as supports for the growing hanging plants. In line with the dynamism that characterises the Umbrian company, the appearance and the colours of the plant species chosen to crown the metallic tower all change with the seasons.